Chief veterinarian: Good dog welfare up until now

Chief veterinarian Arild M. Jøssund said that he was very pleased with the dog welfare so far in this year’s Finnmark Race, when he was interviewed by NRK today.

- It has been very good, and we see large teams here in Pasvik, påpekte Jøssund. – Many mushers arrive with many dogs in front of the sled, and this is something we are very pleased with.

Jøssund is however expecting to see some smaller teams as the race progresses.

Chief veterinarian Arild Magnus Jøssund during the FL-1000 musher’s meeting in 2016. (Photo: Elisabeth Bergquist)

- Last year we shared with the mushers some statistics, which shows that more dogs are dropped after the required 16-hour rest. This is probably due to several reasons, but it will be interesting to see how this knowledge plays out in this year’s race, he says.

- The competition picks up here, and they turn up the speed a bit, says Jøssund.

The next live-coverage from NRK on the Finnmark Race will start at 4 p.m.

Partnere